Getting Out of Yellowstone

The month of September went by incredibly fast; with my season ending, closing the Fishing Bridge Visitor Center on the last day, and trying to pack. For awhile, I kept saying “I got to get out of this park”. I was craving home. I was struggling with keeping a positive attitude with visitors. The frustrations of visitors choosing to be rude and not listen to me plagued my dreams. The immense amount of road rage I got when I drove through the park. It just felt like it was time to be done.

Sounds horrible doesn’t it?

Do all these feelings and frustrations mean that I didn’t enjoy my summer? Definitely not!
While I do a lot of complaining, I truly enjoy this job. Yes, those people make it hard to stay positive all the time but, for every one of them, there are 10 great visitors. People who are enjoying their National Parks and learning/exploring and doing everything they can.

My summer, now that I can look back on it, was made of smiles, laughs, rolling my eyes, and getting to know some amazing people. A lot of people ask me if I miss it, or if I have any desires to go back. At this point in my career I’m hoping for the next step and Yellowstone just isn’t going to give me those opportunities. The Fishing Bridge Visitor Center crew is amazing, and I will miss them if I don’t go back.

Bison in Lamar Valley – Photo By Neal Herbert. Click this photo to see more of his work!

I have nightmares of bison in my yard.

At this point, I am very excited to head back to Mesa Verde National Park in December.
In the meantime, I will be at home in Virginia and Michigan. Permanently goofing off and doing a bunch of random stuff.